David,

I think we shellers already have a somewhat tarnished reputation and asking
someone for their worn tights might raise the specter of outright fetishism!

We have to make sure we're not seen snickering and drooling when we make the
request.

Question: where are people getting their sieves or screens? What are the
size designations to ask for?

David Kirsh
Durham, NC

> From: bivalve <[log in to unmask]>
> Reply-To: Conchologists of America List <[log in to unmask]>
> Date: Fri, 3 Jan 2003 16:48:16 -0500
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Micro collecting gear
>
>> Thanks, everybody, for your suggestions! Fred's is most ingenious! Now, where
>> to get old tights....<
>
> Conveniently for those of us who are more interested in using them for holding
> micros than for their original purpose, nylon stockings have a tendency to get
> snags or runs in them.  Thus, it is easy to find pairs that are no longer
> wanted for wearing, due to a hole in one leg, but with the other leg intact
> and suitable for malacological purposes.
>
> Not only are they good for holding micros as you collect, they also provide a
> good mesh size for washing away fine sediment while retaining the shells, once
> you are cleaning up your finds at home.
>
> The only difficuly comes from the potential embarassment of asking people for
> their old nylon stockings.
>
> Dr. David Campbell
> Old Seashells
> University of Alabama
> Biodiversity & Systematics
> Dept. Biological Sciences
> Box 870345
> Tuscaloosa, AL  35487 USA
> [log in to unmask]
>
> That is Uncle Joe, taken in the masonic regalia of a Grand Exalted Periwinkle
> of the Mystic Order of Whelks-P.G. Wodehouse, Romance at Droitgate Spa